As people were starting to loop from stores, it reminded me of the LA riots all over again.

And the first thing I thought was spring into action, talk to the protesters and try to get them to stand down and not

destroy their own community. And then from there as I'm walking and talking with

the protesters, that was when this large white officer looked at my shirt and he said, hey man, do I get one of those

hugs? And you pause in a moment like that because it's literally gunshots going off there's tear gas in the air

people are choking there's these flash bang devices everyone is running in different directions because

some people were there just to destroy things some people were there just to destroy things.

Some people were there with valid reasons for protest and some were just knuckleheads or setting fires, they're breaking into fights.

And so here I was as this officer asked this, and I saw it just as a moment of extending that olive branch of can we bridge the gap and create some peace between this white officer in Charlotte, North Carolina and this black peace activist who ultimately just wants peace and to really get people together to talk about the issues rather than attacking one another. And so I hugged them.

Hey, it's Light Watkins. We are back with another episode from the end of the tunnel.

And if this is your first time

tuning into the show here is what you are in for I interview luminaries artists

philanthropists athletes creatives basically anyone who's gone above and beyond to be the change

they wish to see in the world.

Sometimes they start movements or they create films or they write books that inspire people.

And my guest this week is a motivational speaker

and he's a peace activist, popularly known as

The Free Hugs Guy.

His name is Ken Wadeke Jr. And Ken grew up in California during the LA

riots that followed the Rodney King verdict. He and his four siblings and a single mom all lived in a series

of homeless shelters throughout his childhood and then a track coach changed Ken's life

by inviting him to join the high school track team.

...